Is the polo reliable

[david burton]

Don't think you can really count perishables (brakes) as "going wrong", unless something needed doing that doesn't normally? Sounds like a mixed bad of reviews / opinions.

[RUM4MO]

I have a 1.2 55hp 52 plate for 2 years and its not a bad little car. It had 78k and now has 90k, well serviced by previous owner.

The spark plug holes are a little annoying as the coils dont fill them completely and mine got bits of grit in them which i had to suck out before removing the plugs.

Maybe use compressed air or an air duster - to clear this stuff out its easier than sucking it out I find.

[RUM4MO]

Don't think you can really count perishables (brakes) as "going wrong", unless something needed doing that doesn't normally? Sounds like a mixed bad of reviews / opinions.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that the poster was just stating all his car needed replacing as that reply was overall giving the Polo 9N a positive review.

P.S. I think the word you were meaning to use was "consumables" as every car needs them changing regularly.

[david burton]

that's the one!

[ihpj]

My Mother's 9N (1.4 Auto) goes in for its second MOT from new on this weekend (06/02). I'm willing to bet that it doesn't need a thing doing. Now that doesn't mean the car is reliable, it just means, given the use it sees, it is reliable enough.

It will dutifully go to the local VW Dealer for the MOT and if they do pick something up, then it will be down to VW Warranty to pick up the bill. I shall of course complete the annual oil/filter change (507.00 and Genuine filter) and it should be set for another years stop/start sedate town only driving. Oh yes, we shall be extending the VW Warranty too - it is due a big repair bill no doubt in the next 12 months

[RUM4MO]

I'd reckon that its not fair to expect a car to just do "start/stop" within 5 or even 2 miles, and yes lots of these smaller cars do get that treatment - and ammazingly seem to survive it! My wife's mum does this and quite a few trips are less than one mile, her 2000MY Fiesta 1.25 Zetec just seems to lap it up - only asking nicely for a quick battery re-charge (original battery) every few months! I feel very sorry for that car as its gearbox does sound like its getting abused as badly as the engine. Okay, back to VAG, a guy at work who has a friend that is a small time dealer in good clean small cars, has just taken in his first Polo 1.2 - this has turned out to have been a very unfortunate trade buy as when he was doing his usual "new MOT" it failed to start when the MOT tester went to test it. He transported it back to his garage, a few people "had a look" at it but could not work out what was wrong! Knowing that I was a VAG person and having a Polo, I got asked "what could be the problem" - diagnosing at a distance is a very risky game, but I guessed "timimg chain slipped". Two weeks later, now that this guy has had a chance to get back to this non-runner, it turns out that was indeed the timing chain problem although he/they think that its just a case of retiming the engine - not good as this car had had a full VW dealer service life prior to being sold on. VAG really do need to attend to some of these common problems as I've said before, if these cars get a bad name when secondhand then the residual price will collapse further than it should leaving the original owner with a very bitter tast in their mouth! Recovery of their past good name is not impossible, although VW need to recognise that this is where they are going, so that corrective action can begin and be seen to be effective - so VW why not share the pain?